Open AccessDetection of Alcohol Use Disorders in General Hospital Admissions in the United States
Author(s) -
Barbara A. Smothers,
Harold T. Yahr,
Constance E. Ruhl
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
archives of internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1538-3679
pISSN - 0003-9926
DOI - 10.1001/archinte.164.7.749
Subject(s) - referral , medicine , medical diagnosis , alcohol abuse , intervention (counseling) , alcohol dependence , brief intervention , emergency medicine , alcohol use disorder , psychiatry , pediatrics , family medicine , alcohol , biochemistry , chemistry , pathology
Previous studies in which research-based assessment for alcohol problems at admission was compared with physician diagnoses indicated that many alcohol diagnoses in hospitalized patients were missed. We estimated the extent to which hospital records documented detection of alcohol abuse or dependence and other alcohol-related problems in a national sample of hospital admissions having a research-based diagnosis of alcohol use disorder ("interview-positive admissions"). We also estimated rates of inpatient alcohol intervention and referral for treatment.